First Image of Sean Penn in THE GUNMAN

While two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn has never been one to shy away from dramatic or political fare, the actor is poised to make his action film lead debut in director Pierre Morel’s (Taken) upcoming pic The Gunman. The first image of Penn in character has now landed online, as we see the actor sporting an automatic weapon and some pretty serious bicep action. The story centers on a hitman (Penn) who attempts to leave his job behind for the woman he loves, only to find that the actuality of giving up the professional killing game is much harder than expected. The impressive cast also includes Javier Bardem, Idris Elba, Ray Winstone, and Jasmine Trinca.

Hit the jump to take a look at the debut image. The Gunman is currently in production in Europe, and should hit theaters sometime next year.